Virginie Claire Désirée Marie Hériot (26 July 1890 – 28 August 1932) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

yachtswoman who won in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

in the 8 Metre ''Aile VI''.

Biography

Daughter of Grands Magasins du Louvre's owner

Olympe Hériot Anne Marie Dubernet known as Cyprienne Dubernet, Madame Olympe Hériot and later Madame Roger Douine (1857 – 5 December 1945), was a French patron of the arts and philanthropist, who was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. Biography Daug ...

and Cyprienne Dubernet, Hériot first cruised in 1904 aboard her mother's yacht ''Katoomba'' (rechristened ''El Salvador'' in 1904), with her brother Auguste and seven friends of the family. Her Mediterranean tour from April to June of that year would have a deep impact on her life. On 2 May 1910, at the

Château de La Boissière A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

(

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207. she was married to Viscount François Marie Haincque de Saint Senoch, also impassioned by the sea. The yacht ''El Salvadaor'' was given to the couple as a wedding present and they spent their honeymoon aboard. They begot a son, Hubert, born on 5 January 1913. In 1918, Hériot underwent a serious surgical operation, and in June 1921 she and her husband separated. She became fully dedicated to yachting after this, seldom staying at her Parisian apartment in rue de Presbourg. In 1912, Hériot ordered her first racer: ''L' Aile I'', but failed reconquer the Coupe of France that the English had held for two years. In 1921, she acquired the 85-metre 1492-ton steamyacht ''Finlandia'', which she later replaced with the 45-metre 400-ton auxiliary schooner ''L' Ailée'', where she would spend 10 months per year. Hériot ordered more racers: the

8 Metre The International Eight Metre class are class of racing yachts. Eight Metre boats (often called "Eights" or 8mR) are a ''construction class'', meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in ...

''L' Aile II'' and the

6 Metre The International Six Metre class is a class of classic racing yachts. Sixes are a '' construction class'', meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. At ...

''Petite Aile''. In 1922 ''L' Aile II'' was first beaten by ''Bora'' in

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

, but with perseverance Hériot soon won race after race. In 1928, she won the gold medal at the Amsterdam

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

aboard ''Aile VI'', as well as the "Cup of Italy" against Holland, Italy, England, the United States, Sweden, Norway and Argentina. In 1929, she lifted the "Coupe of France" from the English and won "His Majesty

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII ( Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also ...

Copa del Rey". In 1931, she won the Ryde-Le Havre-Ryde race with a lead of 9 minutes and 40 seconds on the three-masted schooner ''Sonia''. Following these victories, Hériot was awarded the Knighthood of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

made visits with his family on her schooner ''Ailée II'' and awarded her the Spanish Naval Merit in 1930. The poet

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

called her "Madame de la Mer". Hériot promoted French yachting and French shipyard engineering throughout the world. According to

Georges Leygues Georges Leygues (; 29 October 1856 – 2 September 1933) was a French politician of the Third Republic. During his time as Minister of Marine he worked with the navy's chief of staff Henri Salaun in unsuccessful attempts to gain naval re-arm ...

, she had become a true "ambassadress of the French Navy". She was also devoted to philanthropic works, supported clubs such as the

Yacht Club de France The Yacht Club de France is the senior nautical club in France, and one of the most important yacht clubs in the world. History The club was established in 1867, during the Second French Empire. It was bestowed Royal Patronage by Emperor Napole ...

which was chaired by

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot, better known in France as Commandant Charcot, (15 July 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris – 16 September 1936 at sea (30 miles north-west of Reykjavik, Iceland), was a French scientist, medical doctor ...

at the time, and offered ''Brest one-designs'' to the pupils of the

École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

. She published poems, as well as a "Harbour atlas" with her own drawings. In early 1932, she was seriously injured in a storm between Venice and Greece, but refused to retire from the competition. At the end of August, during the

Arcachon Arcachon (; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for p ...

regattas, she lost consciousness aboard ''Aile VII'', but started nevertheless. Struck by a syncope as she crossed the finishing line, she later died on 28 August 1932, aboard ''Ailée II''. Her funeral was held on 2 September in Paris in the

Saint Clotilde Basilica The Basilica of Saint Clotilde (''Basilique Ste-Clotilde'') is a basilica church located on the Rue Las Cases, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It was constructed between 1846 and 1856, and is the first example of a church in Paris in the neo ...

. Her mother, unable to order Virginie's body to be cast off the Breton coasts as per her dying wishes, had her buried in the family vault in

La Boissière-École La Boissière-École () is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. Geography The village is located in the Southern West of Yvelines. Most of the landscape is constituted of forest. The place is separated in two. The cas ...

instead. In 1948, her son honoured Virginie's wishes, and her body was finally cast to the sea.

Coupe Virginie Hériot

In memory of Hériot and in accordance with her often expressed wish to encourage yachting, the Committee of the

decided at a meeting on 21 May 1946 to initiate an International Cup and name it the "Coupe Virginie Hériot". The Cup is assigned to the International Dragon Class, but remains the property of the Yacht Club de France. In agreement with the Committee of the International Dragon Association the "Coupe Virginie Hériot" is the main trophy of the European Dragon Championship. The event is now held annually.

Prizes awarded

1924 : ''Aile III'' – Copa del Rey SM Alphonse XIII
1925 : ''Aile IV'' – Coupe Rylard, Coupe de la Méditerranée, Coupe Cumberland, France Champion
1925 : ''Aile V'' – Coupe de Copenhague, Coupe Porte, Coupe des Etrangers
1927 : ''Petite Aile II'' – Coupe du Cercle de la Voile de Paris, «

One Ton Cup The One Ton Cup is a trophy presented to the winner of a sailing competition created in 1899 in sports, 1899 by the Cercle de la voile de Paris (CVP). Synopsis The One Ton Cup regattas were at the beginning of races between one-tonner sailing ...

»
1928 : ''Aile VI'' – World Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, Coupe d'Italie, Coupe Rylard
1928 : ''Petite Aile II'' – Prix d'Honneur, Coupe Clerc-RampaI, Prix d'Honneur, Meilleur Classement, Copa del Rey Spain
1929 : ''Aile VI'' – Coupe de France, Coupe d'Or de SM Alphonse XIII
1930 : ''Aile VI'' – Coupe Macomber, Coupe Thalassa

Books

''L'Aile I''
''Quart de Nuit''
''À bord du Finlandia''
''La Seconde France'' (Impressions sur les fêtes du Centenaire), 1931
''Sur mer : impression et souvenirs'', 1933
''Le Vaisseau Ailée, le bateau qui a des ailes'', 1931
''Ailée s'en va'', 1923–1927
''Service à la mer'', 1932

Poems

''Goélette ailée'', poèmes, 1927
''Le Bateau de mon enfance'', poèmes, 1928
''Une âme à la mer'', 1931, couronné par l'Académie française

References

External links

Une amazone de l'océan

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heriot, Virginie 1890 births 1932 deaths People from Le Vésinet French female sailors (sport) Olympic sailors for France Sailors at the 1928 Summer Olympics – 8 Metre Olympic gold medalists for France Olympic medalists in sailing Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Yvelines 20th-century French sportswomen